The present invention generally relates to gas processing apparatus and, more particularly, to apparatus and methods of characterizing membranes and seals to build gas processing apparatus.
In devices such as equipment built for space programs where leakage of gas is a prime consideration and may be gas species dependent—such as seals for a rotary distillation unit, or in applications where species-dependent gas leakage is part of the designed function of the equipment such as in O2/N2 membrane separators—it is important to be able to characterize the relative leakage rate(s) as a function of the applied pressures in a method that is independent from the normal operating conditions of the equipment. The characterization can enable one to design and build a membrane and/or membrane module suitable for use in the intended environments. The characterization can enable one to design and build a membrane and/or membrane module suitable for use in various environments.
In the absence of suitable characterization, one may be relegated to installing a membrane in a module, testing the module to see how the membrane performs, and then either using the membrane or discarding it. If the latter is needed, the process of installing another membrane and testing will be required. In essence, one must go through a trial-and-error process to determine which membrane for a given module construction will work.
As can be seen, there is a need for improved apparatus and methods to characterize membranes and seals to build gas processing apparatus.